I Tried an At-Home Ice Roller That Claims to Reduce Redness & De-Puff Your Face in Minutes

Updated:

04 Nov 2024

Chloe is a Digital Creator, Beauty Writer, Lash Technician, and Content Coordinator at Adore Beauty. She spends most of her time crafting scroll-stopping content, but outside of work, you'll find her building on her Glasshouse collection, hanging out with her fur babies and probably cleaning. Her all-time favourite products include the Alpha-H Liquid Gold and Kérastase Elixir Ultime Original Hair Oil.

If you aren’t up to date with the latest and greatest beauty trend, let me save you some time.

It's called ice rolling, and it's as chill as it sounds.

Ice roller skin tools aren't super 'new', but they are all over TikTok.

Fans of the TV show Euphoria might also recall watching Cassie vigorously ice roll her face as a part of a concerning yet mesmerising 4am morning routine.

via GIPHY

This style of simple (but extra) self-care skincare tool promises to reduce inflammation, promote blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, minimise redness, and best of all, de-puff the face.

Yep, I'm talking about puffy eyes, too.

As someone who is all about using tools like gua sha and jade rollers in my skincare routine, being asked to road-test a new ice roller excited me to my core.

Intrigued?

Keep reading to find what ice rollers do, how ice rolling works, along with my Kitsch ice roller review with before and after pics.

What Is An Ice Roller for Face?

Ice rolling is another form of a facial massage.

Ice rollers are typically filled with gel or water and made from stainless steel or plastic to keep the surface of the roller colder for longer.

Similar to the mechanics of using a gua sha or facial stone roller, it helps to promote blood flow, reduce inflammation, help with lymphatic drainage and also claims to tighten pores.

Ice rolling also looks like a fun way to spend a few minutes in the morning.

Well, on TikTok, at least.

@ameliasingson My quick go-to AM skincare routine! Key products depuff, brighten, hydrate & protect! #grwm #skincareroutine #skincare #iceroller #vitaminc #sunscreen #morningroutine #amskincare ♬ About Damn Time - Lizzo

There's a reason why beauty influencers like Bretman Rock and so many others have literally dunked their faces into ice water before makeup application, or the morning of a big event.

It’s the same reason why dermal therapist and beauty journalist Yadira Cauchi pops all of her ‘emergency tired mum skincare’ products in the fridge.

It’s cold exposure therapy, or cryotherapy.

When your skin is exposed to the cold for a short period of time, whether it be your skincare products, skin devices or a cold surface, it causes the blood vessels to constrict.

This makes the skin appear firmer and tighter.

It also gets oxygenated blood and excess fluid moving, resulting in skin that looks ‘awake’ and more luminous.

How to Use An Ice Roller.

If Cassie can ice roll at 4am, you can ice roll at a more decent hour in the AM.

Store your ice roller in the fridge or freezer overnight so it’s icy cold when it comes time to use it.

In the morning, you want to take the ice roller out and leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling your face.

This will prevent any ice burn, but just to be safe, you can also wet the roller or pop a hydrating product like a hyaluronic serum, toner or oil on your skin.

Watch this video below to see how I use the Kitsch Facial ice roller to ice roll my face in the morning.

As a rough guide, apply the roller onto the skin and roll in an upwards direction.

Working against gravity will give you a temporary lifted result.

You also don't want to apply much pressure, let the tool do the work.

But honestly, ice rolling is just as much about taking a few minutes to do something for yourself (like trying a TikTok beauty trend...).

Roll however the heck feels good for you until your heart is content, preferably no more than 10 minutes.

Don't forget the neck and forehead, and be extra gentle around the eyes.

Clean and dry the ice roller completely before popping it back into the freezer.

Hot tip: Store your ice roller in a sandwich bag to keep it nice and clean.

shop Kitsch Facial ice roller

My Ice Roller Review.

Kitsch Facial ice roller is so easy to use, and it has quickly become the favourite part of my morning skincare routine.

With the head made from stainless steel, not only does it feel like the elite version of rubbing your face with an ice cube, but it also makes it easier to disinfect and clean.

FYI, Kitsch is a shiny new brand that just landed at Adore Beauty.

Their products consist of chic hair and skin accessories to add to your OTT self care routine.

Think heatless curl sets and face razors for shaving off your peach fuzz.

Circling back to ice rolling.

Before rolling, I applied hydrating skincare.

LANEIGE Water Bank Blue HA Revitalising Toner 160ML and Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Liquid Rehydration Serum 30ml both hydrated the skin and created a smooth surface to prevent any drag.

I’m quite the lazy gal. The less effort it takes to do things, the more likely I’m going to want to do it, and often.

Thankfully, using an ice roller with a handle like this one couldn't be easier.

I noticed a difference immediately the first time I used it.

I had to do a double take in the mirror because I couldn’t believe how awake and alive my skin looked.

Sure, puffiness was reduced. But I was more impressed by its plumping abilities.

Using the ice roller made my skin look firmer, and brought colour back into my face.

Compared to other facial massage tools, the cold from the ice roller made all the difference.

Final Verdict...

Do you really need an ice roller in your routine? Is it truly essential?

No. No you don’t.

It's important to take skin tools and trends with a grain of salt.

They can't grant you wishes or replace skin treatments like laser or injectables, but ice rolling is now a nice, mindful start to my day.

As for whether ice rolling works, do I believe there’s an element of placebo?

Controlled exposure to the cold has many proven benefits to our skin and body, but I wouldn’t rule out placebo effect!

But I've found using this ice roller consistently (i.e. every morning and remembering to return it to the fridge/freezer once done) has made my skin look more radiant and plump.

I can’t recommend the Kitsch Facial ice roller enough for anyone who enjoys the ritual of an AM skincare routine.

Even if the results are only temporary.

Also excellent for managing a post-salty dinner or big night puffy face.

shop Kitsch Facial ice roller